dearest and sweetest baby that ever
lived, and I ought to be glad to give money for his education fund
voluntarily and freely; and yet we treat him as if we hated him and
had to be forced to give him a few cents a day. We act as if he was
nothing but a government treasury deficit, and instead of giving
joyously and gladly because we love him, we act as if we had to have
laws made to force us to give. I feel it more every time I have to
pay tariff duty into his bank. I tell you, Laura, it isn't treating
Bobberts in the right spirit. If he could understand he would be
hurt and offended to think his parents were the kind that had to be
compelled to give him an education, as if he were a reformatory
child or a Home for something or other. Any tax is always unpopular,
and that means it is annoying and vexatious; and what I am afraid of
is that we will get to dislike Bobberts because we feel we are
injuring him. I don't mind the tariff, myself, but I do want to be
fair and square with Bobberts. He's the only child we have, Laura."

"Oh, Tom!" exclaimed Mrs. Fenelby, taking her hands out of the dish
water; "do you think we have gone too far to make it all right
again? Do you think we have hurt our love for him, or weakened it,
or--or anything? If I thought so I should never, never forgive
myself!"

"I hope we haven't," said Mr. Fenelby, seriously; "but we must not
take any more chances. If this thing goes on we will become quite
hardened toward Bobberts, and cease to love him altogether."

"We will stop this tariff right this very minute!" cried Mrs.
Fenelby joyously. "I am so glad, Tom. I just hated the old thing!"

Mr. Fenelby shook his head slowly and Mrs. Fenelby's face lost its
radiance and became questioningly fear-struck.

"What is it?" she asked, anxiously. "Can't we stop? Must we keep on
with it forever and forever?"

"You forget the Congress of the Commonwealth of Bobberts," said Mr.
Fenelby. "The tariff law was passed by the congress, and it can only
be repealed by the congress, with Bobberts present."

Mrs. Fenelby wiped her hands hurriedly and rapidly untied her apron.

"I hate to waken Bobberts," she said, "but I will! I'd do anything
to have that tariff unpassed again."

Mr. Fenelby put his hand on her arm, restraining her as she was
about to rush from the kitchen.

"Wait, Laura!" he said. "You forget that you and I are not the only
States now. Kitty and Billy are States, too. You and I would not
f